Financial Information

Lawyers Trust Fund Revenue

The Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois receives income from three sources:

The Interest on Lawyer’s Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program.

A $95 legal aid fee that Illinois lawyers pay to the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission as part of their annual registration process; and

Unidentified funds discovered in IOLTA accounts.

IOLTA Income

The IOLTA program is a charitable partnership between the legal community and financial institutions. More than 400 banks throughout Illinois participate in IOLTA, and remit interest on attorneys’ pooled trust accounts to the Lawyers Trust Fund.

IOLTA revenue fluctuates based on interest rates. Since 1992, net IOLTA income – the total interest earned minus bank fees and charges – has varied from a high of $17,118,518 in FY 2008 to a low of $1,970,544 in FY 2004.